Bowden town council unanimously rejected a request from Badger Daylighting Hydrovac Services to temporarily hook up to the town water supply to complete a two-month long job near Bowden.
The request asked for up to seven cubic metres of water per day per truck with one to start and two trucks per day at a later date. Because the town's bulk water station is currently not in operation, Darren Nichols of Badger Daylighting said in a letter to the town the company would be willing to install a water meter for billing purposes.
Nichols said the company has used the town's bulk water station in the past for jobs near Bowden.
Numerous councillors expressed their reservations with the request, especially since it would be using potable water for industrial purposes, which they believed was not in the best interests of the town. Coun. Sandy Gamble suggested the company might be able to use the lake west of Bowden.
Following the meeting, Mayor Robb Stuart said the town quit selling bulk water at the town's reservoir because it needed too much repair.
"We actually shut it off because it was too expensive to repair it just to sell (potable) water to people when there wasn't much of a demand for that. We are concerned that potable water Ö (is potentially being used for fracking). We'd rather not support that," he said.
When contacted, Nichols declined to comment.
